


Terrified

by lmonty



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Also I love them, E3, Ellie - Freeform, F/F, Naughty Dog - Freeform, TLOU, The Last of Us - Freeform, basically just a detailed version of the dance in the trailer, dina - Freeform, dina/ellie - Freeform, ellie is so clueless its painful, ellie williams, ellie x dina, ellie/dina - Freeform, the last of us 2, they're so fucking gay, tlou 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 16:04:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16537793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmonty/pseuds/lmonty
Summary: A written version of the dance and the kiss in the released E3 trailer.Ellie is too clueless.





	Terrified

**Author's Note:**

> okay so basically i wrote this a few months back with the plans of making it a multi-chap thing, but i never ended up finishing it because i'm a loser, but i did finish the entire section about the E3 gameplay trailer with the dance and stuff. i figured i'd post that since (i don't know about all of you but) i'm starving for quality ellie and dina ultra gay material, and i know we're dying out here, people. i wanted to contribute to the cause so i hope that worked out well  
> hope you enjoy!  
> maybe if i end up finishing the rest of the damn thing i'll post it, but for right now, i hope this is enough to sate your hunger for a while

_Went out one night to make a little round,_

_I met little Sadie and I shot her down._

_Went back home, jumped into bed,_

_Forty four pistol under my head._

 

Ellie was never one for the party scene. Even as a kid, she never found herself gravitated toward them. Though, it wasn’t like there were many in the Boston quarantine camp anyway.

 

She had to hand it to Tommy and his crew, though. The area was beautiful. Bright string lights hung from the wooden beams of the building. People danced and cheered while the upbeat music traveled lightly through the air. Ellie was leaning gently on the wooden bar that had, too, been decorated with string lights.

 

Balancing a mostly empty glass of whiskey in her hand, Ellie admired the scene before her. These nights were common in Jackson County. The upbeat music, the dancing, the talking and laughing, the lights, the campfires. Ellie’s usual routine for these parties was to, first, stop at the bar, and then shift her way outside by the fires until it was over. Truthfully, if it hadn’t been for her best friend Dina pressuring her to come instead of staying home, that’s exactly where she’d be.

 

_I woke up in the morning about half past nine,_

_The hacks and the buggies standing in line._

_Gents and gamblers standing around,_

_Taking little Sadie to her burying ground._

 

Despite its beauty, Ellie found herself not knowing where to look. Her mind had a thing for analyzing images before her, and while this, of course, wasn’t one of her favorite scenes to admire, it was definitely fun to see what was new that she could find at every gathering.

 

Her eyes scanned the people dancing, the song _Little Sadie_ ringing off the walls of the small, tight area, making it nearly impossible to block out from her thoughts. Nothing particular caught her eye. The same people dancing, the same ones laughing, the same ones talking about uninteresting settlement stuff and gossip that Ellie couldn’t give two shits about.

 

Her eyes diverted to many different angles of the room as her mind began to wander in thought. Tomorrow was a pretty big day for her patrol of three. Her, Dina, and Dina’s now ex-boyfriend Jesse were all scheduled to go on a patrol to the nearby abandoned town a previous patrol had discovered. Unfortunately, the patrol had been returning from another settlement for trade when stumbling upon the abandoned town. Too full and unable to loot the area properly, that was left for the three of them to do.

 

Ellie’s job had been to go on patrols and trips, as well as to guard the wall occasionally at night or on her off-shifts. Sometimes when she had no other job scheduled, she would go help Maria, Tommy’s wife, manage the horses. Feeding them, cleaning them, all that fun stuff. Overall, Ellie was highly respected within the settlement, even for being one of the later members to move in. Joel’s status as Tommy’s brother was what had given them such the advantage, and even then, Ellie had taken a while to get comfortable. It took nearly two months for Dina to crack into her, attempting to befriend her soon after their arrival.

 

Joel and Ellie had decided to go back to Jackson County after their failure at the Utah Firefly Lab, but did not officially move into the settlement for a long time after. Ellie had met Dina and Jesse when she was almost sixteen years old, but never saw them much. They’d only officially met and become friends when Ellie was nearly eighteen, which was the age that Joel allowed her to start patrolling and going out on runs. She had turned nineteen only a few days ago. Despite Jesse being nineteen, almost twenty, and Dina having turned eighteen about four to five months ago, they all were very good friends and maintained healthy friendships throughout the entirety of their time together. 

 

Well, that _had_ been the case until Jesse asked Dina out a few weeks prior to the present day. 

 

After returning home one night from a long supply run that had lasted about two days, Jesse asked Dina to date him, to where she hesitantly obliged. Something about the entire situation set Ellie’s skin aflame, made her heart race and her stomach drop. But when she’d heard from Dina that she broke up with him, she was admittedly ashamed of the fact that she felt relief and a sudden burst of hope.

 

Dina’s reasoning had been because she didn’t feel “right” with him, and he had “never contributed to the relationship like she had”, or so she’d said. Dina had a habit of being very picky when it came to relationships. Maybe even a little bit needy. But Ellie didn’t mind that at all.

 

_I began to think of what a deed I’d done,_

 

In the middle of her stream of thoughts, she saw a familiar outline take the floor with one not so familiar silhouette. Looking up from her daze, Ellie felt a smile creep up on her lips when she saw the all too familiar outfit consisting of a red-wine shirt and skin tight jeans.

 

_I grabbed my hat and away I did run._

 

Dancing with one of the other older boys of the settlement, Ellie saw the wide smile of Dina, the lovely lady in question. Arms extended, they twirled and skipped around the dance floor to the music.

 

Admiring the girl’s wonderful figure as she danced, Ellie’s grin only widened. Dina’s smile was contagious, and she knew it. Although Dina hadn’t spotted her yet, it was like her presence was enough. The cocky and sarcastic attitude stung in the humid air, and it was like Ellie could taste the sour and sweet punch against her tongue.

 

_Made a good run, just a little too slow,_

 

Lifting her glass to her lips, Ellie allowed the strong liquid to tickle its way past her chapped lips and down the back of her throat, settling heavily in her stomach as she brought the glass back down, eyes glued to Dina and her dancing partner. 

 

_They overtook me in Jericho._

 

The man twirled Dina beneath his arm, and even from this far away Ellie could hear the wonderful laughter make its way past the girl’s lips and out into the air. That really did it for Ellie. She could listen to that laugh all day, every day, and never get tired of it. 

 

It had taken Ellie long to admit it, but truthfully, she fancied Dina. Everything about Dina she found attractive. From her physique, to her attitude, to her fashion, to even something as minor as her laugh. She found the shorter girl in question absolutely intoxicating. She had only decided on her little crush after Jesse had asked her out. The feeling she’d gotten were not the normal, average feelings of jealousy you get for someone who’s supposed to be your best friend.

 

Ellie subconsciously started bobbing her head to Dina’s rhythm. Any time her boots hit the floor, her head would bob to the sound of them that lined up perfectly to the beat of the song. Her smile plastered itself to her face. It was very subtle, but it was there. If you looked closely enough, you could see that rare, small smile weave its way onto her lips.

 

Footsteps approached at her left. When she turned slightly to see the form of Jesse, her smile immediately vanished into a regular frown. She sat herself up and quietly cleared her throat, as if trying to pretend she hadn’t just been eyeing down his ex-girlfriend. 

 

She heard a long sigh pass through his nose as she leaned back casually against the wood of the bar table, masking the previous expression with her stoic complexion.

 

“I hate these things,” the older boy scoffed beside her as she readjusted her sleeve and lifted her glass higher, closer to her chest.

 

She scoffed right back with a small chuckle.

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

Glancing in her direction briefly amidst the silence, Jesse released a silent, closed-mouthed chuckle, before resuming the momentary silence once more. The silence had become much more familiar between all of them since the separation between him and Dina. But not with her and Ellie. Dina’s flirtatious attitude and her touchiness with the taller girl never seemed to cease, even in times like these.

 

After a moment or two, he began to speak again.

 

“Your old man really laid into me today.”

 

Of course, this didn’t surprise Ellie. Joel was very involved with Ellie’s jobs in the settlement. He got into daily arguments with Tommy and Maria every time they told him to ease up on her, and to let her handle herself as a young lady. He wanted full control, which Ellie found sweet, but she occasionally found herself stepping in to tell him off.

 

In a very monotone, unsurprised voice, Ellie asked, “What happened?”

 

“Another big lecture about my patrols,” he answered. “Don’t go here, don’t go there…” he jut his head in a different directions to emphasize his statements. “It’s funny how involved he gets whenever you’re scheduled to go out.”

 

Yes, it was typical of Joel. It had gotten to the point where even her friends started to point it out, which irritated Ellie a bit. Not that she cared what they thought, it was just annoying to have to hear it from people other than her adoptive father. 

 

With a bounce of her eyebrows, Ellie breathed out a small “yeah” before returning her gaze to the ground once more.  


 

“She’s, uh…”

 

Ellie raised her head. She already knew where it was going, but she’d take any excuse to look at Dina that she could get.

 

“…puttin’ on quite the show,” he mumbled with a nod in her direction that Ellie just barely picked up. Her eyes were occupied with the girl in question.

 

As the song came to an end, that beautiful laughter resurfaced as she leaned back. Her partner held her as she fell back, smiling. Placing her forearm against her forehead as she lifted herself (with the help of her partner) back up to her feet, her smile only grew.

 

“I give you guys… _two weeks…”_ she predicted with an amused raise of her eyebrows, turning to Jesse for the first time while he’d been standing there. “…until you’re back together.”

 

Jesse shot her a brief, dismissive look.

 

“Not gonna happen.”

 

Ellie turned back to stare back off to the dance floor as the silence reclaimed its presence. After a moment’s hesitation, Jesse’s desperate curiosity kicked back in.

 

“She, uh… say something to you?” he muttered, looking back at Ellie with hopeful eyes.

 

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She turned to him with a subtle grin. This boy was useless.

 

“Make it one week.”

 

An excited call cut through the both of them like a hot knife on butter.

 

“Ellie!”

 

The familiar voice sounded from edge of the dance floor and made its way closer. Ellie turned to find the source, only to be met with the lovely smiling face of Dina. Naturally, Jesse turned his head, too. Dina didn’t even spare him a glance.

 

“Hey!”

 

A small but nervous grin found its way on Ellie’s lips as the girl shortened the distance between them. She found herself gripping her glass a little tighter as she took in the sight of Dina as she stood just mere inches away from her. Her face glistened with sweat, and it was only then that Ellie was able to make out the stains of sweat on her back and underarms from all the commotion on the dance floor. 

 

She could feel Jesse tensing beside her as Dina got closer, and when she was close enough that she could reach out and take the glass from Ellie’s hand, he very softly inched away because, truthfully, could Jesse really bring himself to move away from Dina?

 

“What took you so long?” the sprightly voice hit her in the face like a bag of feathers. Ellie felt the glass disappear from under her fingertips, glancing down only to see Dina’s fingers just centimeters away from her own. It took her a moment to feel the warmth of Dina’s hand placed on her broad shoulder, digging into the soft flannel.

 

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” Ellie shot back, watching her bring it to her mouth and admiring the way the whiskey slid down the smooth shape of the glass and past those soft-looking lips.

 

“Dina,” Jesse greeted painfully. It was horrifically obvious how uncomfortable the silence between them was, and Ellie still hadn’t fully prepared herself for the amount of bickering and awkwardness that was to come the next day on the run. If she wasn’t being forced to mediate between the two of them, she’d have to tolerate the terrible silence that would most likely sit much too heavy on her shoulders the entire time they were out. She honestly didn’t know which one she’d rather deal with.

 

After a hard swallow of liquor, Dina turned coldly toward Jesse, dropping an icy return of his name.

 

“Jesse.”

 

Right after the name passed her lips, she turned, shooting an all too scandalous look toward Ellie as she reached for the girl’s hand, and turned her body to gently pull her toward the dance floor.

 

“Come on,” allure stained her words, an irresistible look plastered on her face. An eyebrow raised, a mischievous grin that showed off her wonderful teeth. Ellie let Dina pull her toward the floor, leaving Jesse behind to simply watch them go. Dina’s hand was gentle and soft against Ellie’s rough, calloused one.

 

“Hey, don’t forget we leave at first light,” he called after the girls with a short raise of his glass. “So… get some rest.” His usual commanding, firm voice wad completely melted away like an ice cube over fire. Anyone could walk all over him.

 

“Yes, sir,” Dina retorted back with a mocking salute as Jesse disappeared, exiting to the right. She turned back around with an agitated roll of her eyes.

 

Ellie could only observe as the two of them parted ways in one of the most uncomfortable and awkward manners she’d ever seen. It took her a moment to fully process it, before she murmured her thought to the girl dragging her along past the slow dancing people.

 

“You’re such a dick…”

 

“Come on…” Dina scoffed, trading her other hand for Ellie’s. Her irritated gaze had quickly vanished, replaced by that smile Ellie loved so much. She turned them so Ellie was now directly in front of her. Suddenly, she felt her hands being placed around Dina’s waist, pressing into the small of her back.

 

“Don’t you start with me,” she teased, and the words rolled off her tongue in the most satisfying, electrifying way. 

 

Dina’s eyes scaled up Ellie’s body until they met right back into hers. Evergreen trees mixing with a foggy storm cloud. Her mischievous grin returned for a split second before all of the shorter girl’s concentration centered on moving her arms up and around Ellie’s neck.

 

“Okay, I have a very serious question for you,” she said, placing her forearms gently on each shoulder and letting her hands rest one over the other behind Ellie’s head. All the while, she stared honestly into her eyes and Ellie almost can’t handle it.

 

_A serious question?_ Ellie’s mind scavenged for any of the options prematurely, hoping that her brain stayed in focus instead of short-circuiting at just how close they were in this moment because god damn it, she felt Dina’s breath hitting against her face, the smell of whiskey and mint gum, and it intoxicated Ellie at a rate that she didn’t think she could handle for much longer. She felt the warmth radiating from the girl in front of her, the heat seeping into her flannel and even through the shirt below it, touching comfortably against her skin, making her mind race at the speed of light and her heart pound steady like a drum. The girl in front of her, she’s beautiful. She’s so beautiful that it was taking her breath away.

 

Dina maintained eye contact the entire time, looking for the the go ahead from Ellie to ask her question, and whether she saw it or not – Ellie would never know – she looked deeply into her eyes when she finally asked.

 

“How bad do I smell?”

 

Ellie had to recompose herself. She had braced too hard for the question, and it hit her so suddenly she almost felt like laughing. Instead, a small grin appeared on her face. Typical Dina.

 

Taking a moment to ponder her answer, she decided to lean in and suck in as much air as she possibly could through her nose. Meanwhile, she didn’t even have to look to feel the hilarious smile taking shape on the girl next to her. Ellie felt Dina’s eyes on the side of her head, watching Ellie get close to smell her, and she could only have assumed Dina was getting a kick out of it.

 

Truthfully, Dina didn’t smell all that pleasant, given that fact that she’d been dancing for God knows how long in a hot, humid environment crowded with people. She smelled of sweat and whiskey and possibly some other kind of alcohol that she couldn’t name. It hit her like a punch to the face. Although Ellie didn’t  mind it much – considering she’d become accustomed to the musty smell of body odor and labor drenched into all of her shirts and even Joel’s – she knew Dina would smell a whole lot better after a nice shower at her house. With the lovely floral soap she always used, and the minty shampoo that had ingrained itself into her memory.

 

But like Dina, she refused to sugar-coat her answer.

 

“Like a hot pile of garbage…?” she responded smugly, almost like she was asking because she knew Dina knew the answer. Ellie chuckled breathily at her own answer.

 

“Oh,” Dina’s eyebrows shot up in a mockingly surprised fashion. “Okay.” With a complacent smirk, she brought herself in and pressed her face tightly against Ellie’s.

 

Ellie only laughed, but her mind was burning itself out, and her heart was skipping beats as their cheeks are pressed together, with Dina holding them there. She felt the smile against her cheek and it prompted her to release a chuckle taking the form of disgust – and amusement – as Dina’s sweaty scent marked its territory against her face.

 

“How about that?” Dina asked in the most smug but victorious manner, while she pulled her face away to see Ellie’s grimaced expression. All she did was smile as she watched her friend try and recuperate from the odor.

 

“Gross…” Ellie tittered.

 

A deep chuckle rumbled in Dina’s throat. “You love it.”

 

It captured Ellie’s ears and she felt a shudder roll down her spine, but thankfully, she suppressed it. It didn’t help much that Dina readjusted herself against Ellie, tightening her arm’s grip around her neck and moving in closer, leaning her head on her friend’s shoulder. It was only then that Ellie noticed the light and subtle swaying they’d been doing along to the slow song playing behind them.

 

Ellie was confused, she was startled, almost. What was Dina doing? It was almost as if they were dancing like a couple…

 

The silence killed her from the inside. It was probably the most comfortable silence she’s experienced since venturing out with Joel. The two would make occasional conversation, but nothing beat listening to the background noises while she followed him around from place to place, taking in the view. This was very alike to that, but so, so different. It was so comforting, yet it tortured Ellie. She would kill to know what Dina was thinking.

 

After a few more moments of gentle swaying, Dina resting her head against hers, arms tight around her neck, balancing on her shoulders, Ellie finally broke the silence with the unsaid realization.

 

“Every guy in this room is staring at you right now.”

 

Dina’s head rose from its position. Maybe in surprise? Ellie didn’t know, but she felt a weight being lifted, and suddenly the warmth came from higher up on her face.

 

It took her a few moments to respond properly. Ellie felt her eyes wandering over the side of her face. Hopefully she couldn’t detect the anxiety creeping throughout her entire being at being so close to someone so beautiful and someone she was so into. 

 

Then, she whispered: “Maybe they’re staring at _you.”_

 

It tickled the outer shell of Ellie’s ear, the breath played against the skin of her jawline and her neck, and it took every ounce of restraint not to shudder at the feeling. It was exhilarating, absolutely alluring. Her gentle voice touched against her in such a sultry manner, she questioned how she’d been able to remain so outwardly calm at the situation. Did Dina even know what she’s doing to her?

 

Dina started to gently lean into her more, and Ellie felt the sweat of her forehead press into the side of her face, and her brow tickled at the area around her ear. The ridge of Dina’s nose played dangerously against her freckled skin in a way that made it take effort to speak.

 

With a soft exhale of air, Ellie answered, the corner of her lips twitched upward at the implication.

 

“They’re not,” she simply replied. 

 

Another tortuous moment of silence passed through them, before Ellie felt the breath touching against her again.

 

“Maybe they’re jealous of you,” it came out lightheartedly, but at its core, serious.

 

Dina’s grin stitched its way onto her lips. She heard it in the way she said it, and she knew it because she knows Dina. 

 

Their swaying continued.

 

Jealous? Of Ellie? That’s impossible. Ellie was not that to Dina. She was not a viable option to her because Dina, simply, had no interest in her. It took her a moment to think, though, because she’d interpreted the signs before. Even now, the signals she had received set her mind aflame and sent her heart racing. Best friends dance, sure. But this? This was different, one of the most different feelings she’d ever felt, and she was feeling it back from Dina, she was being fed these feelings back and it caused her heart to race faster and faster and–

 

“I’m… just a girl,” was the only thing that passed her lips. The sheer honesty and the disappointment and the emotion behind it, there’s absolutely no way Dina of all people hadn’t picked up on it. 

 

“Not a threat.”

 

Dina reared, and suddenly, she’d been taken aback. Ellie couldn’t understand it. She stopped their swaying altogether, and Ellie began to worry. Had she said something wrong?

 

Once again, the weight is lifted as Dina raised her head, and suddenly her face was in front of Ellie’s again. Her arms repositioned, no longer locked around the back of her neck. Her left arm rested on her shoulder like earlier in the dance.

 

Dina took the other hand and brushed the strands of hair hanging to the side of Ellie’s face. So gently, like they could shatter at the smallest amount of force. She tucked the stray hair behind Ellie’s ear.

 

“Oh, Ellie…” she murmured, just above a whisper. It made her heart skip a beat, maybe two.

 

Dina’s hand settled tantalizingly on the back of her neck, the soft, warm surface pressed down on an even warmer surface. The heat itself was almost too much. Ellie had nowhere to look but her eyes, and she couldn’t pull away. Her green eyes are magnetized to Dina’s dark ones. Her heart was beating out of her chest at the fact that their faces were merely inches apart, maybe less.

 

“I think they should be terrified of you…” Dina’s sentence quietly trailed off; it went from a gentle whisper to nearly nothing within seconds. What was she thinking? It had been like some thought had cut off her oxygen, made her halt her sentence and let it float away.

 

It’s what happened next that Ellie could not comprehend. She was too stuck on the words and what they meant, how Dina was telling Ellie that she’s good enough and that she’s able and that she isn’t just a girl who can’t see straight because she loves her–

 

Suddenly, Dina’s face was moving closer to hers and Ellie’s thoughts raced like they’ve never raced before.

 

What was she doing? Why was she getting closer?

 

Dina’s eyes closed and before Ellie could even muster up another coherent thought, Dina’s soft lips pressed gently, ever so softly, against her chapped ones. Ellie’s stream of endless, restless thoughts stopped completely in that moment. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and suddenly she’s unable to do anything but let it happen.

 

It lasted for merely a moment, and then Dina pulled away just ever so slightly. Their lips practically touching. She let her lips rest there for a moment, to see if Ellie was okay with this, to see what she would do next.

 

Of course Ellie was okay with it.

 

With a sharp intake of breath, Ellie dove back in, letting her lips take control, and blocked out any thoughts from her brain. Her eyelids shut and all she could do was feel. Feel Dina against her lips, feel her hand brush the back of her neck, feel the damp shirt underneath her fingertips.

 

She couldn’t have cared less how many guys were looking. She immediately went in for another kiss. And then another.

 

They grew more passionate with each one. One kiss, two kisses, three kisses, and Ellie picked up the pace, with Dina following suit. Everything and everyone else tuned out, and suddenly it was just the two of them on the dance floor, the slow dance music cascaded its way down the walls and surrounded them in a beautiful melody.

 

Ellie just continued pressing her lips repeatedly into Dina’s, like it was the only thing she’d ever wanted in the world. The only person that ever made her feel like this was her old best friend–

 

Their noses brush together as they each continued to plunge back into each others’ lips, and Ellie was pulling her closer, hands still placed on her waist. Dina’s hand shifted from the back of her neck to where her hairline began, and settled there in the auburn sea, letting her fingers brush gently over the soft waves of her hair.

Dina’s opposite hand was moving down, and settled right on the side of her neck while the other dug its way through the baby hairs on the back of Ellie’s head. Dina’s hands were so soft against her skin, and Ellie’s skin was so soft against her hands.

 

After a few more moments of gentle yet passionate kissing, they both pulled away in unison, opening their eyes only to meet the other’s.

 

Ellie’s face was puzzled, her brows furrowed as she searched for thousands of answers for her thousands of questions in the face of the beautiful girl in front of her. She tried to read every freckle, every mark on her face, scanning her for the impossible answers to questions she had, never to be answered.

 

“See? I told you,” Dina was the first to speak. She said it softly, as if words alone could shatter Ellie like glass. A genuine smile took shape on her face, a loving insignia, her eyes never leaving Ellie’s.

 

“They should be terrified…” she whispered vigorously, the smile claimed the entirety of her face as she awaited on the taller girl to mentally grasp the words she’d spoken, and the actions that had just taken place.

 

Ellie’s face inevitably softened as reality came crashing down on her. She fought the contagious smile before her, glancing down to stare at the ground but finding no security, no answers. When her eyes returned to Dina’s, she didn’t fight it again. The grin swallowed her whole, consuming her, and the two girls were left smiling joyously at one another, green never leaving brown, and brown never leaving green.


End file.
